


Sugar Cubes

by Beth Harker (Beth_Harker)



Category: Newsies (1992)
Genre: Canon Era, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 05:03:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17197028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beth_Harker/pseuds/Beth%20Harker
Summary: Mush asks David for dating advice.





	Sugar Cubes

“Hey Davey, how do ya get girls to like you?” Mush asked, then slapped his friend hard on the back. He guessed that the way David nearly choked on his coffee was owing to how Mush was sweet on Blink, and Blink sweet on him, a fact which David had discovered a month ago.

“Is everything alright?” David asked. 

“Yeah." Mush smiled. Davey was a nice person, always asking after other folks. A while back a guy had been at the lodging house, giving "personality lessons”, the kind that were supposed to help you get really far in life, and his first rule had been to ask a lot of questions, to show others your were interested. Mush had thought of Davey then, because it was awfully great, how he asked tons of questions every day, on account of he was so interested in everyone.

“Why’s there a stain on your shirt?” Mush asked, because thinking about those personality lessons had reminded him that Dave was worthy of emulation. If he was gonna emulate Dave, he wanted to get right to it after all. David furrowed his brow, and looked down at his shirt.

“Why are you asking me about girls?” He spat out.

“Specs asked me. Didn’t know what to tell him." 

"Lots of girls like you.”

“They does?”

David nodded, with a pointed glance at the waitress that even Mush could recognize. 

“Yeah,” he said happily. “I like her too. She always leaves the sugar bowl on the table, and she don’t even complain about how much I eat out of it.”

“But,” David lowered his voice, “Specs wasn’t asking about sugar cubes, was he?”

“Nah, he was talkin’ about…”

“Shhh!" 

Mush shut closed his mouth obediently. He opened it again to eat another sugar cube, but he didn’t say nothin’. He didn’t think it was wrong that Specs wanted to find a lady friend, but David’s ears were turning red. Mush didn’t like saying stuff that made others uncomfortable. It took another four sugar cubes before Mush decided it was safe to continue his story. 

"When Specs asked me, I winked, like this –” Mush demonstrated. “And I told him I’d tell him everything he wanted to know after tonight." 

"That wasn’t misleading at all." 

"I only know how to get girls to like you the same way you get anybody else to, by being friendly and all." 

"But Specs wants one in his bed,” David said bluntly. Mush wondered why David was allowed to say that when he hadn’t let Mush say it before. Also, he didn’t quite get why David, who didn’t like sweets, chose that moment to eat two sugar cubes in rapid succession. Mush waited for him to swallow before continuing. 

“That’s where you come in,” Mush said.

“Hopefully not." Another sugar cube. 

"Huh?”

“I don’t want to come in if he… You know. Look. It’s a joke. I understand the figure of speech, and I know that you aren’t talking about me literally walking in on them. I’d just rather not imagine it.”

“I like imaging my friends happy." 

"You wouldn’t if you’d read the books I have. They present a very… exacting… image. Besides, he’ll almost certainly contract some kind of disease. His extremities might rot off.”

David and Mush were both reaching for the sugar bowl when the waitress arrived, and slapped David’s hand away. 

“Sugar doesn’t grow on trees,” she said. “Careful, or I’m gonna have to start charging you for this stuff." She didn’t take it off the table, though. She just pushed it closer to Mush. David mouthed something not nice behind her back as she walked away, hips swinging like she was looking for somebody to notice her.

"That’s funny,” Mush said.

“What?”

“Just if sugar don’t grow on trees, then where does it come from?" 

"It’s refined from sugar cane. It’s plant matter. She’s an idiot.”

Mush wanted to take more sugar, but he didn’t want to do that if David wasn’t allowed to. He sat on his hands. 

“So, about the girl that Specs wants to get with…what if it was Sarah?”

David’s eyes widened. “No,” he said, too quickly. 

“That ain’t what I meant. It ain’t her, but…”

“I don’t have any say in the matter, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. Does he want to marry her? She doesn’t even know him. You can’t just decide to court a girl who doesn’t know you…" 

"That’s it!" Mush said. "I’ll tell Specs that. It’s good advice, Davey." 

"On courting Sarah?”

“Aww, no. Specs don’t want to court Sarah. I was just thinking, when he asked me this morning, that you were bound to have some good ideas about how to court girls, since you got two of 'em living with you. You know, with folks like Sarah and your mom running around the house, I figured you’d know all kinds of things about courting ladies." 

"Well… No. You’re talking about my mother and sister. Courting isn’t a part of our relationship." David made a face. 

"But you make 'em like you." 

"They’re my family. They’re obligated to like me." 

Mush got a kind of dreamy smile on his face at that. He couldn’t help it. "It’s a real nice idea,” he said. “I like to think that my ma liked me. When she knew me. Wasn’t long, but I bet we liked each other.”

David’s brow creased, and he went silent. His fingers tapped on his side of the table. 

“I can’t imagine anybody not liking you,” David said at last. 

“You neither,” Mush said. He put his hand on David’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “You’re real smart, you know? And that’s a great idea you got, about getting to know girls so you can court 'em proper." 

"Glad I could be useful in forwarding somebody’s love life,” David replied wryly. 

“Ain’t doin’ so bad on yours neither." Mush grinned, and shoved David lightly. It was hard to tell if David was cringing or smiling… Talking about himself and Jack was strange for him still, but David had been so happy and relieved when Mush had first said just a couple of words about himself and Blink, that Mush tried to bring that kind of thing up when he could. 

"I have to get back home. It’s getting late." David stood up, slinging his arm over Mush’s shoulder for an instant, like he was trying to give him a hug but wasn’t quite sure how. He got like that when he was nervous about something, but happy at the same time. Mush patted him on the back. 

"See you later,” Mush promised, watching as David made his escape, his footsteps lighter and the tips of his ears redder than they’d been at the beginning of the evening. Mush, for his part, pocketed a few more sugar cubes, and left feeling thoroughly satisfied with both the company and the conversation.


End file.
